School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa.
Dev Psychobiol. 2013 Apr;55(3):265-74. doi: 10.1002/dev.21020. Epub 2012 Mar 7.
The development of maternal care in mammals can be influenced by the type and quality of maternal care received. Using biparental striped mice Rhabdomys pumilio, we investigated whether development of maternal care is influenced by the mother during early rearing and by an adult female's experience and that of her mate. Offspring were raised in one of three treatments, by: both parents; mothers alone; and mothers separated from the father with a barrier. Since female striped mice increase their care when raising litters alone, which influences expression of parental care of their adult sons, we expected daughters to respond like sons. However, there was no treatment effect in the development of maternal care in daughters. In subsequent experiments, experienced and inexperienced females decreased care when raising their offspring with experienced but not inexperienced males. Therefore, maternal care in striped mice is modulated in response to prevailing environmental and social conditions.
哺乳动物的母婴护理发展可以受到母婴护理的类型和质量的影响。我们使用双亲性的条纹缟狸（Rhabdomys pumilio）研究了母婴在早期养育期间的护理发展是否受到母亲的影响，以及成年雌性及其配偶的经验的影响。幼崽在三种处理方式下成长：由父母双方共同抚养；由母亲单独抚养；以及母亲与父亲通过障碍物分开，由母亲单独抚养。由于雌性条纹缟狸在独自抚养幼崽时会增加护理，这会影响其成年儿子的父母护理表达，我们预计女儿会像儿子一样做出反应。然而，在女儿的母婴护理发展中没有观察到处理效应。在后续实验中，有经验和无经验的雌性在与有经验而不是无经验的雄性一起养育后代时会减少护理。因此，条纹缟狸的母婴护理会根据当前的环境和社会条件进行调节。
